Spots On, Claws Out
by RangerGiselle
Summary: After Ladybug told him on the rooftop that she was interested in someone else, Cat Noir got an idea of how to win his lady's affections. Lots of misperceptions and misunderstandings ahead.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: There's A Boy

Adrien Agreste fell backwards onto his bed with a sigh, throwing his hands behind his head. He stared up at the ceiling with a confused expression.

"Plagg, I can't get it out of my head."

"Let me guess," his kwami replied, his mouth already half-full of cheese. "It's about Ladybug."

Adrien turned to look at Plagg. "She called me her friend tonight. I know, I should be happy with it; it's not like I have a lot of friends or anything."

"But…" Plagg prodded, drawing out the word.

"But I can't forget her words: 'there's a boy'. My lady likes someone else. Am I wrong to be jealous?" he asked, sitting up.

"The only way to get over a heartbreak is to eat a lot of cheese," Plagg joked, but stopped when he saw Adrien's expression. He sighed. "I know it's hard, but a real friend would try to support her feelings. Huh, I wonder what kind of boy Ladybug would fall in love with?"

"That's it!" Adrien announced, clenching his fist. "I have to help her."

"What?!" Plagg exclaimed, spinning backwards in mid-air. "But I thought you were in love with her? What happened to feeling jealous?"

"Don't you see? That's the reason she's been able to resist my charm. As long as she has these unresolved feelings, Ladybug won't be able to move on, but once he's out of the way, she'll fall for me for sure," he finished, a smile growing on his face. "This is going to work."

"This is going to be a disaster," Plagg grumbled.

The next night, Cat Noir perched on a rooftop overlooking the city of Paris. With the clear night sky full of stars and bright electric lights dotting the city skyline, it would have been the perfect scene for romance, but that would have to wait. First he needed Ladybug to confide in him.

He scanned the area ahead, waiting for her. They always did a patrol at this time of night, but everything had been quiet after Glaciator's late night ice cream attack. Looking to his left, he saw the rooftop balcony that belonged to Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and thought of their conversation the previous night.

She'd been stood up too, which surprised him. Everyone seemed to like Marinette, surely there had to be a reason her date didn't show up. Wait, wasn't he supposed to meet up with her and her friends for ice cream? Well, Adrien, that is, not Cat Noir. Adrien realized might have met Marinette's crush that day if he'd gone to Andre's with them. Marinette was a good friend, and had actually cheered him up a bit by hanging out with him. He wondered if her "rocky road" to romance was going better than his was.

A rush of air announced the arrival of Ladybug, and Cat Noir glanced over at her.

"About time, I was almost ready to take off," he teased. "What took you so long, hot date with the boyfriend?"

Ladybug rolled her eyes. "I never should have said anything. And no, I don't have a boyfriend." Her gaze moved over the city, searching for trouble.

"He turned you down?" Cat Noir asked softly, leaning over to look at her.

"Not exactly," she explained. "Look, Cat Noir, I don't think it's a good idea for us to talk too much about our secret identities."

"All you've told me is there's a guy and he 'didn't exactly' turn you down," he said dryly. "I can't really track him down with that information, now can I?" He did an acrobatic flip and landed with both feet on the railing. He squatted in front of her to get her attention.

He continued, "Look, you called me your friend, and that meant a lot to me. I'm just trying to be here for you."

Ladybug's expression softened. "Sorry," she apologized, tugging on the side of her mask in a nervous gesture. "It's just hard to talk about. I'm sure you're the same with or without the mask, but I'm more confident when I'm Ladybug."

 _My lady gets shy?_ Cat Noir smiled, having learned a new piece of information about her. "I think I can understand that. I'm _way_ smoother as Cat Noir."

She chuckled a little. "If that's smooth, I'd hate to see the alternative."

 _Ouch. Try another tactic._ "So about this boy of yours. You can tell me about him without giving any details, right?"

She seemed to think about it. "Yeah, I guess that could work. He's really smart, and a good person, kind to everyone." She muttered under her breath, "Even those who don't deserve it."

"A nice guy, huh? So what's the problem?"

"Every time I get around him, my heart starts pounding," she started, walking over to the edge of the roof, leaving him there.

The jealousy panged in his chest again, but Cat Noir tried to ignore it.

Ladybug continued, "I _try_ to talk to him, but it always comes out wrong, like gibberish. And recently, I overheard him talking to someone and he called me 'a very good friend'."

 _I know how that one feels,_ Cat Noir thought, but he realized he really did understand her situation. Liking someone, and only being thought of as a friend hurt.

"Wait…" he said, realization dawning on him. "He doesn't know you like him."

She shook her head. "I worried for a while that he thought I hated him."

He hopped off the railing and walked closer, cocking his head to the side. "I can't imagine anyone saying no to you, Ladybug. Any boy who would do that, well, wouldn't be good enough for you anyway."

She smiled, and he wished for the millionth time that he could see her without her mask, see if the area around her eyes softened with sincerity. He was happy to have that smile aimed at him.

"You have to tell him, it's the only way," he said, and was sad to see the smile disappear.

"I can't. I stumble over my words just trying to say hello."

"Cat got your tongue? Maybe I could help?"

Ladybug scoffed. "If I need a cheezy pick-up line, then I'll come to you. Looks like a quiet night, I'm going to head back." She flung her yo-yo over a neighboring chimney and swung off.

"Hey," he protested. "My lines aren't cheezy."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Project

"Seriously, Marinette, you just need to get over there and ask him, already," Alya said, her hand on her hip. "You already know that he's a fan of Jagged Stone, and you were lucky enough to get tickets."

"That's just because I babysat Manon for Nadja the other day and she had free tickets from the station," Mariette protested.

"Yeah, but this is your chance to go with Adrien!" Alya pointed out loudly.

Marinette shushed her with a finger, pulling her back down behind the stairs at school.

"I can barely say hello to him, and now I'm supposed to ask him to go with me on Saturday? As in, just the two of us?" Marinette closed her eyes and squealed. A dreamy expression crossed her face. "But wouldn't it be awesome?"

Alya cocked her head. "Not you don't ask him, it won't. Wait, there he is!"

Marinette pulled on Alya's shirt sleeve, getting her attention.

"I'll ask him, okay? By the end of the day, promise. Just...not yet."

Alya gave a small smile and nodded. "Remember I'm rooting for you, okay girl?"

Adrien was already inside the school by the time they finished their conversation, and Marinette was grateful for the reprieve. She remembered Cat Noir's advice last night. Sure, that kitty was a bit _too_ comfortable flirting, but he did have a point. Adrien didn't even know she liked him. Maybe it was time to tell him.

She felt her cheeks warm at the thought of confessing her feelings, and shook her head, walking up the stairs and inside the school. She grabbed her things from her locker, and was the last one in her seat just as the bell rang.

Adrien sat in front of her, as always, and she found herself more than once watching the way his soft blonde hair moved as she waited for class to start.

Miss Bustier cleared her throat, and started the lesson, but wasn't more than five minutes into it before the classroom door opened again, and Mayor Bourgeois walked in. The students gasped, and chattered amongst themselves.

"Quiet down class," Miss Bustier instructed, waving her hands in a motion to silence them. "As some of you may know, the Mayor's office has been running a new tourism campaign called 'True Paris'. Mayor Bourgeois himself is here to talk about a special event."

"Thank you," the Mayor said, and turned to the class. "We're hosting a photography competition, to allow students all across Paris to show us what Paris really means to them. Cameras will be available to you on loan, but of course you may also use your personal cameras, or cell phones, provided the resolution is high enough. The contest ends a week from this Friday. The winning entry will be featured in a special exhibit."

"A photo contest?!" Alya whispered. "This blogger's got this one in the bag."

Marinette smiled. Alya's "Ladyblog" had a pretty steady following. It was good to see her passionate about something. She had no doubt that Alya was going to be a great journalist someday.

Mayor Bourgeois motioned with his fingers to someone standing outside the door and a short thin man rushed in with the a large box, which he sat on Miss Bustier's desk. The Mayor nodded. "Be sure to capture the true Parisian spirit! Good luck to you all." He and the other man walked out.

Miss Bustier smiled at the group. "I was going to wait until later to tell you, but the timing of this project was excellent. You'll be working with a partner, and each team will present one photo. Hopefully students from our school will be selected as the winners."

She reached over to grab her tablet. "Let's assign the teams."

Marinette groaned inwardly. She'd had bad luck in teams before. Miss Bourgeois rambled off a few names.

"Alya, you'll be paired with...Nathaniel," she said. She saw Nathaniel jump, but he and Alya looked at each other and nodded.

Alya leaned in to whisper, "With Nathan's creativity, and my media savvy, we've got this."

"Marinette…"

 _Not Chloe, anyone but Chloe…_

"You'll be working with Adrien." Marinette froze. _Working. In a pair. With Adrien?!_

"...what do you think, Marinette?"

She realized Adrien had turned around in his seat and asked her a question, and she had no idea what he'd just said.

"Huh?" she managed weakly.

He smiled, that beautiful friendly smile of his. "I said we should meet up later and talk about the project. Maybe get something to eat?" He suddenly frowned. "If Father allows it, that is."

"No, you sound great-I mean that sounds great," she replied, correcting herself in mid-statement.

The smile was back. "Good. I'll text you later about it, then." He turned back around, and Marinette turned slowly to Alya, who was grinning from ear to ear. She mouthed the word "Yes!" tilting her head to indicate Adrien.

Marinette turned to look down at her purse, sitting next to her, and the tickets that were still inside, guarded by Tiki, of course. _Maybe I can ask him at dinner?_ When she looked up, she caught Chloe glaring at her. Class started back up then, and she tried to focus on the lesson, but she couldn't help the fluttery feeling in her chest at the thought of working with Adrien on the photo contest.

When class ended, she picked up her purse and hurried to her locker.

Adrien watched Marinette rush out of the room, and laughed to himself. She hadn't even picked up their camera for the project. He stopped by Miss Bustier's desk and signed one out, putting it in his bag. He made his way to the hallway lockers, and grabbed his book for the next class. He leaned against the wall and pulled out his phone, sending a quick text to Nathalie that he would be working on a school project after his fencing lesson.

He was headed to the water fountain for a drink when he heard Marinette's voice echo out from the girl's restroom.

"You have to switch partners with me, Alya."

"Wait...you can't be serious? Why?"

Adrien felt a little guilty listening in, but what was this about switching partners? _Is this about the photo contest?_

"I just don't think I can go through with it. I mean, he wants to _meet up_. What am I going to do?"

Adrien grimaced, and felt sick. Marinette was one of the nicer people in their class. He'd been relieved when her name had been called as his teammate for the photo contest, but she didn't know if she could "go through" being his partner for the project? He tried to think back to something he could have done to make her angry, but came up empty. _She can't still be upset about the gum incident, can she? I told her I was just scraping it off, that it wasn't me._

He backed away from the fountain, not wanting to hear their conversation anymore, and bumped into someone, knocking them over. He turned, eyes wide, ready to apologize.

"Watch where you're- oh, Adrikins!" Chloe exclaimed loudly.

Adrien reached his hand down to her to help her up. "Sorry Chloe, I should be more careful." He gave her a smile.

"Okay, I forgive you," she said, clinging to his arm even after she was steady. "That was totally unfair of Miss Bustier to do random assigning. _We_ should have been partners."

He allowed Chloe to lead him away, but flicked his eyes back to the entrance of the girl's room.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Blank Screens and Cancelled Plans

"Dinner is the perfect time to ask him about the concert," Alya said patiently.

"I...what if I mess up?" Marinette asked, toying with her pigtail.

"I've told you this a hundred times. If he likes you back, it's not going to matter if you mess up," Alya commented, smiling patiently at her.

"And what if he doesn't like me back? What if I make this project thing all awkward? What if I make _everything_ awkward?" Marinette put her hands over her face in an embarrassed gesture. "Maybe I should just forget about the concert."

Alya grew silent, listening to Marinette continue to ramble. Finally, she put out a hand. "Calm the panic train, girl. You're thinking too far ahead. Just go, try to relax, have a good dinner with Adrien and talk about the project. You can do that, right?"

"The project…" Marinette said, breathing deeply. "Yeah, that'll help. We'll have something to talk about, right?"

"And if the moment feels right, tell him about the tickets."

Marinette sighed. "We need to get back, class will be starting again soon."

Alya chuckled. "I guess if it gets too bad, you can always just take a bite of food and make him wait until your mouth isn't full."

Together, they walked back into the classroom. Marinette looked at Adrien, but he was busy looking at something on his phone. She slid into her seat and tried to sneak a peek over his shoulder, but he closed the screen and turned to talk to Nino instead. She checked her own phone, but there were no texts from Adrien. Wasn't he supposed to let her know about dinner?

Ms. Mendeleiev started the lesson, and Marinette turned her attention to the blackboard. Throughout the rest of the day, she checked her phone a few more times, but it was the same: no text. She watched the back of his head, as usual, but if offered no answers, either. When the end of the day rolled around, Adrien was quick to head for the door.

Marinette ran after him. "Adrien!" she called, and he turned to look at her, his expression unreadable.

"What is it, Marinette?"

"Did you hear from your dad about dinner?"

"Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you; I have a meeting with a new photographer to go over the details of a photoshoot I've got coming up. I can't today." He looked away as though preoccupied.

"That's too bad. I guess I can take a few shots by myself, and see how it goes? My parents don't need me at the bakery tonight."

"Yeah, that sounds fine," he said, digging in his bag for something. He handed her a small digital camera. "I gotta go, see you Marinette."

She watched as he walked away, and after a few seconds, he exited out the glass doors that led to the front of the building. He'd seemed...off, somehow. _Did I do something or was he just busy, like he said?_ She'd been so worried all day about spending time with Adrien, and now that nervous energy had nowhere to go.

"What was that?" Alya asked, walking up behind her.

"Adrien had to cancel."

She nodded. "He's busy a lot, but I'm sure you'll get your chance tomorrow."

Marinette grabbed the rest of her things and left school. She and Alya said goodbye, and Marinette finished walking back by herself. She took a deep breath, enjoying the view of the park as she passed. She saw a woman playing with a child, who was laughing as she pushed her in the swing.

She thought about the assignment, the true Paris. She considered snapping a photo, but decided against it. _No, it has to be something special...but what_ does _Paris mean to me?_

The bell on the bakery door clanged as she entered. "Hey Mom," she greeted.

"Welcome home, Marinette."

Marinette grabbed a pastry from the counter before heading up to her room.

"Lots of homework?" her mother asked.

"Always," Marinette said with a shrug. Homework was always a convenient excuse when she needed time to herself. Or when Ladybug needed to head out to save the day.

When the door was finally shut and locked behind her, she opened her bag and her kwami, Tiki zoomed out.

"Whew, that was a long day!" she commented, giving a dramatic sigh, but immediately perked up when she saw the pastry.

Marinette broke a piece off and handed it to her. "Tell me about it."

Tiki ate quickly, and watched as Marinette finished her actual homework in record time. She headed downstairs and ate a quick dinner herself before returning. It was getting late in the day, and the sky was just beginning to turn orange.

Marinette looked out of her window. "I guess this would be a good time of day to go get some pictures," she observed. "But I think Ladybug could get some better angles than I could."

Tiki smiled. "You can patrol at the same time."

"Even better. Tiki...spots on!"

Marinette felt the power filling her Miraculous. She loved this feeling, it was like breathing in pure energy and becoming a new person. When the transformation was complete, she climbed the ladder to the roof and zipped away.

Adrien did have a meeting with the photographer, he hadn't lied, but it didn't take very long. They came to an agreement quickly about the direction of the shoot, and said their goodbyes.

He thought about Marinette's face when he'd told her that he couldn't do dinner. He could have sworn she looked disappointed. Could he have been wrong about what he overheard? But why else would she want to switch partners? She said she "didn't think she could go through with it", didn't she?

He realized he'd spent the whole day thinking about the situation with Marinette, and hadn't gotten anywhere with it. _Why are girls so hard to figure out, anyway?_

He got out of the car, and went inside his home, nodding to Nathalie as he crossed the main hall. She adjusted her glasses and fell in step beside him.

"Your father is working late again tonight," she informed him.

 _Of course he is._

"I'll have dinner prepared for you now," she told him.

"Thanks, Nathalie."

A short while later, after dinner, Adrien paced the long windows in his room. Plagg was happily munching down on a piece of camembert. _How can he eat that stuff?_ Adrien wondered. He looked at his computer screen, the latest from Alya's Ladyblog playing on repeat. _A patrol might help clear my head._

"I can't just sit here anymore, Plagg. I hope you've had enough. Claws out!"

"What?!" Was all Plagg got out before he was pulled into the cat Miraculous ring.

Adrien relished the swirling energy that gave him the trademark ears, tail and black superhero suit. _Adrien might not know what he's doing with girls, but Cat Noir still has a plan. I need to learn more about this 'boy' of Ladybug's._

He opened the window and vaulted up to the sill. The screen image on his monitor flashed to a silhouette of Ladybug, with the words "Who is Ladybug?" written across it.

"If I only knew…" he whispered, shaking his head before leaping from the window.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Multiple Exits

Ladybug raced across the rooftops of Paris, keeping an eye out for danger, but tonight, thankfully, looked like another uneventful night. She got a few shots of landmarks from interesting vantage points, but wasn't finding anything that really felt right. She imagined what the other teams must be coming up with for the project, and knew that ordinary wasn't going to be good enough. She needed to find something better.

She sat on a raised chimney of an abandoned building, watching the sunset, when she felt the soft landing of feet behind her.

"Hey Cat," she said, turning her head to peer at him.

"I take it there's been no trouble?" he asked, leaning with one arm on the chimney and looking up at her.

"None. I wonder what Hawk Moth is up to," she muttered, squinting into the dying light on the horizon.

"Macrame?" he mused.

Ladybug chuckled, surprised to find herself amused by one of Cat Noir's lame attempts at humor. He did always seem to cheer her up, anyway. "Nah," she commented. "He's a moth, right? He'd just eat right through it."

Cat Noir flashed a grin at her before turning to look at the vista before that. "Paris sure is pretty from up here."

"Yeah, it is," she agreed softly.

"You know, Bugaboo-" Cat Noir started in a sly tone.

Ladybug cut him off. "And that's my cue." She hopped off the chimney, and pulled out her yo-yo.

"But I just got here!" he protested.

"And now you can take over. Call me if anything happens, okay, kitty?" And with that, Ladybug left.

Cat Noir couldn't believe it; ditched by two girls in the same day. _What a cat-astrophe!_ He took over Ladybug's perch and sat, watching the sun finish setting. He'd thought this patrol would help get his mind off girl problems. It was almost like the other night...wait, that's it! The thought solidifying in his mind, he leapt down from the chimney and stalked across the rooftops, using his staff to jump between buildings when needed.

He reached his objective in a couple of minutes. Sure enough, Marinette Dupain-Cheng was sitting in one of the chairs on her balcony, flipping through the pictures on the camera. He felt a pang of guilt leaving her to work on their assignment alone. Still, this was his chance. He could approach her as Cat Noir, and maybe figure out what had happened with him...er, with Adrien.

"Good evening, Marinette," he said, dropping gracefully down onto the balcony.

She jumped, nearly dropping the camera, but recovering before it hit the floor. "Cat Noir! You scared me half to death. Um...what _are_ you doing here? Has someone been akumatized?" she glanced around, checking the streets.

"No, nothing like that. I came to thank you for the other night. Talking to you really cheered me up. I remembered you said you were stood up, too, and I thought maybe I could return the favor."

Her forehead wrinkled but she smiled. "You came just to talk to me? What, Paris didn't need saving today?"

He smiled. It was nice seeing Marinette more relaxed. In fact, the more he was around her as Cat Noir, it made it clear that she _was_ different around Adrien. Maybe he'd just never noticed, or just brushed it off. And maybe she really _did_ have some sort of problem with Adrien.

"So," he started, needing to change the track of his thinking. "What happened with the guy you were supposed to meet up with the other day?"

A blush crossed her cheeks at the question. "You came to talk to me about _boys?"_

"You listened to me about Ladybug. Besides, I'm curious." He sat down sideways in the chair, his long legs crossed at the ankle.

"You know, I hear curiosity's not good for cats," she teased. "But no, nothing happened with that."

"So if it's not about what happened the other night, then what's got you down?"

She blinked at him, her features finally blossoming back into a sad smile. "That obvious, am I?"

"Is it about that?" he asked, gesturing toward the camera.

"In a way. I'm supposed to be working with a partner on this project for school…"

 _Alright, here we go._

"And I can't shake the feeling that my partner is mad at me for some reason."

 _Wait, she thinks I'm mad at her?_

"I know, I shouldn't jump to conclusions. There are probably perfectly good reasons for the way he's acting that have nothing to do with me, but I have a hard time talking to him sometimes."

"Why?"

The blush was back, pinkening her cheeks, but before she could answer, a crash sounded from a few blocks away.

"Akuma!" they said in unison, standing up out of their chairs, before looking at each other.

"You need to get out there, Cat Noir," Marinette said, her eyes flicking back toward the hatch that led downstairs.

"You should stay get inside, where it's safe. Another time, then, Marinette," he said with a small bow, before diving off the balcony.

Marinette watched as Cat Noir pole vaulted to a nearby building, and disappeared over the pitched roof. _What was with_ that? _Now I'm getting visits from Cat Noir even as myself?_ It was going to make hiding her identity harder if he was stopping by, that was for sure. She wasn't sure what to make of their conversation. Why did she tell him any of that? Maybe she'd let her familiarity with him as Cat Noir when she was Ladybug cloud her judgement.

Speaking of Ladybug, she had work to do. Marinette found Tiki waiting when she dropped down into her bedroom again. They nodded to each other.

"Looks like we're going back out, after all. Tiki, spots on!"

The power came over her, and in a second, she was Ladybug again, and off. Her communicator was already chiming. As soon as she was away from the bakery, she opened the compact, and saw Cat Noir's face again.

"Where are you, Ladybug? I'm going to need your help," he said, before ducking a blast of what looked like...no, that couldn't be.

"Hang on, I'm on my way," she reported, before closing the compact again with a snap.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Engraiser

The stench reached Ladybug long before she could actually see the new supervillain. She leapt over the final rooftop, and down into the park. This villain was human-sized, at least, but he bore a weapon on his back that had two attachments, one held in his right hand, the other taking the place of his left. He seemed to be wearing...overalls? That was a new one.

Cat Noir called out, "Watch out for the-"

She was hit with a blast of air that knocked her off her feet and into a nearby lamppost with an audible thud.

"-Leaf blower. At least you got that one and not the other."

To punctuate the point, the villain launched a foul-smelling brown substance from the other nozzle at Cat Noir, who jumped out of the way in the nick of time. Ladybug sighed, knowing exactly what that was...fertilizer. Yuck.

"You will all become food for Engraiser's plants!" the villain shouted.

 _Plants? Fertilizer?_ "I think that's the gardener who normally takes care of the park!" Ladybug announced. "Any idea where the akuma is?"

"Not yet, I'm just trying not to end up in the litter box!" Cat Noir shouted back.

Ladybug darted underneath one of the trees and took a second to evaluate this new supervillain.

"How dare you step on the flowers!" Engraiser shouted, aiming at her, but she used her yo-yo to zip to the treetop, looking down at him. She examined at his overalls, and noticed something: a pair of shears in the pocket of his overalls. _That must be where the akuma is._

"Cat Noir, get ready to kill that leaf blower for me, would you? I have an idea."

"I thought you'd never ask."

"Lucky charm!" Ladybug called out, and was surprised to find a small balloon in her hand. _A balloon? What am I supposed to do with this?_ Scanning back over the scene, she knew _exactly_ what to do with it. She swung her yo-yo, snagging it on the lamppost, and spun around, shoving the balloon perfectly into the nozzle of his fertilizer gun, plugging it up. _That takes care of that, at least._

"Cataclysm!" Cat Noir yelled from behind her, and managed to disarm Engraiser of the leaf blower, the mechanism crumbling into nothing from Cat's power of destruction.

Using her yo-yo, she bound up his legs, causing the Engraiser to fall over, giving her access to the shears at last. She broke them in two, feeling the satisfying snap as the akuma was released.

"Time to de-evilize," she stated, and captured the akuma quickly. When the compact opened, she waved goodbye to the white butterfly, happy to have the danger over. Gathering the balloon charm, she tossed it into the air, and watched as the scene reversed. The piles of manure disappeared, and Engraiser turned back into the kind Mr. Flores.

The gardener held his head, confused. "What happened?" he asked.

"Pound it," she and Cat Noir said in unison, bumping fists.

Ladybug grinned at him. _Another job well done. Now to get back._ She pulled out her yo-yo again, but paused. _Was I mean to him earlier? Maybe I should say something nice. He did call, after all._

"Hey Cat," she called, and turned to find him still watching her. "Good work tonight, partner. Thanks for calling me in."

"Yeah, well sometimes a superhero's duty stinks," he said deadpan, and she groaned a the lame joke.

"Bug out!" she called over her shoulder as she ran for the side of the building, pulling herself up on her yo-yo at the last second.

Across town, light streamed in through a circular window. White-winged butterflies encircled the masked figure standing in the beam of light. Hawk Moth frowned in disappointment when he saw Engraiser fall.

"My plan may not have blossomed yet, but I will get your Miraculous, Ladybug and Cat Noir!" he vowed, clenching his fist. "But first...dark wings, fall!"

The energy of the moth Miraculous left him, leaving only Gabriel Agreste. He brushed off his sleeve, although no spec of dirt was visible. The small purple moth kwami reformed in front of him and bowed.

"Yes, Master?" the kwami questioned.

"Nooroo, I believe a change of plan is in order. Using my power to throw supervillains at them has not been enough to defeat them thus far. Why do you think that is?"

"The ladybug and black cat Miraculous are quite powerful, Master."

"Ah, but you make an excellent point. I have been attacking them directly as Ladybug and Cat Noir. What I should have been doing is going after them in their human lives."

Nooroo gasped in surprise, trying to hide his disappointment. "Then you've learned their secret identities?"

"Not yet, but I've discovered something equally as valuable. In evaluating our battles, it is clear that Ladybug is the stronger of the two. Cat Noir will be our target, but we must keep them from teaming up."

"What do you have in mind, Master?"

"I have been watching Cat Noir, and I believe I have found something his ordinary self cares about - something that will make him vulnerable. Nooroo, dark wings, rise!"

The energy returned with a fluttering of wings, and once again, Hawk Moth stood alone in the moonlit chamber. His sinister laughter rang out. "Soon, he will be begging to give me his Miraculous, and they will at last meet their doom!"

Thankfully, Marinette managed to make it home in time before she transformed back, the power draining from her, leaving her just an ordinary girl. Tiki looked as exhausted as she did. They could both use some rest.

Meanwhile, Adrien sat on his bed, looking out at the night sky. "I wonder what she was going to say?"

"Who, Ladybug?" Plagg asked.

"No, Marinette," he replied. "She said she has a hard time talking to me - to Adrien, that is - but we were interrupted by the akuma attack, and I didn't get to hear why."

"Who knows?"

Adrien knew Plagg probably wasn't the best person to give advice on girls, he usually grew disgusted quickly with "all that love stuff" as he called it, but he didn't have many people he could talk to about it _Wait, maybe I do_. He couldn't talk to anyone in his normal life about Ladybug, but Marinette was a different story. Nino knew Marinette pretty well, especially now that he was dating Alya. _Maybe he'll know what I did to get on her bad side. For now, I guess I'll just try again with Marinette, pretend like nothing happened._ His mind made up, he turned off his computer monitor and settled in for a night's sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: An Afternoon Together

Adrien got to school early and waited for Nino to arrive. Finally, he saw his friend walking toward him, bobbing his head to whatever music was playing in his oversized headphones. Adrien waved at him.

"Adrien, my man," Nino called, and the two of them performed a complicated handshake. "What's got you here so early?"

"I was hoping you could help me figure something out," he replied, and the two of them entered the school. They were the only ones in the locker room, and Adrien turned to face his friend.

"So what is it?" Nino asked.

"Okay," Adrien started. "Have you ever noticed that Marinette seems to act weird around me?"

"Oh yeah," Nino said, nodding with a laugh. "It's pretty obvious, dude."

"Do you have any idea what I did to make her not like me?" Adrien asked, relieved that he wasn't the only one who'd noticed Marinette's strange behavior. "I can't seem to think of anything I did that might have set her off."

Nino's expression changed, frowning. He paused, as though choosing his words carefully. "What makes you think she doesn't like you?"

Adrien looked around, making sure they were still alone. He leaned in and said quietly, "I overheard her talking to Alya yesterday. Marinette said she wanted to switch partners with her for the photography contest. I thought maybe, since you and Alya are close, you might know more."

"Look, girls are hard to figure out sometimes. But I know for a fact that Marinette doesn't hate you."

"You're sure?"

"Definitely. There must be some other reason for what she said."

Adrien smiled. "Thanks, Nino."

"Anytime."

Others started coming into the locker room then, cutting off any further conversation they would have had about it. Adrien finished gathering his things, and walked slowly to class, deep in thought. _If Marinette isn't angry, then what could it be?_

He suddenly remembered Ladybug's statements from the other day about getting nervous and her words not coming out right around the boy she liked. Adrien stopped in mid-stride. Could it be that Marinette...liked him?

He felt someone bump into him from behind. _Pay more attention, Adrien!_ He swiveled around to apologize. It was Nathaniel.

"Sorry, I was a little lost in thought for a moment," Adrien said sheepishly.

"No problem," Nathaniel said, stooping to pick up his papers that had fallen to the floor.

Adrien wasn't surprised to see a few drawings in the mix. Nathaniel was quite the artist. Of course, he'd also been the Evillustrator, one of Hawk Moth's transformed supervillains. One drawing in particular caught his eye. It was of Marinette, of course. After he'd been akumatized, the whole class was now aware of how Nathan felt about her.

 _Speak of the devil,_ Adrien thought as Marinette stopped right behind the two of them, reaching down to help Nathaniel pick up his drawings. He watched as Nathan smiled shyly at her, hugging the papers to his chest, and she returned it with a friendly smile of her own.

 _Of course. Marinette likes_ Nathaniel _, how could I not have seen it? She didn't want to change partners to get away from me, she wanted to change places with Alya in order to be with Nathan._ He expected to feel relieved, but strangely felt conflicted instead. After all, he had Ladybug, didn't he? Of course, if his lady was able to tell the boy she liked about her feelings, he would have to accept that he might have to let her go.

"Looks like you two have this covered," he said, leaving the two of them to finish picking up the last of Nathaniel's things.

He found his way to his seat. He'd been happy about what Nino said, only to find himself troubled again. _Stick to the plan. Just work on the project like nothing has changed. Marinette doesn't need to know the weird thoughts you were just having._

"Adrikins," Chloe called, moving to stand next to him. "Daddy has a new item on the menu at the hotel. You'll come try it out with me tonight, right?"

"Sorry, Chloe. That sounds fun, but I have to meet up with Marinette tonight to work on the photo project."

"Marinette?" she said, her voice heavy with condescension. "You have all next week to work on that. Daddy reserved our usual table at the restaurant. Are you sure you won't come tonight?"

Adrien smiled. He and Chloe had been friends since they were children. He'd grown up with her. He knew she sometimes could be harsh, but deep down, she was just lonely, like he was. "How about we do that on another night?" he asked.

"I'm going to hold you to that," she said, turning to return to her seat.

Nathaniel walked passed him, up to his seat toward the back of the class. Marinette and Alya came in next, chatting about something. He was keenly aware of her sitting behind him, the faint smell of the bakery that always accompanied her wafting forward.

"So, girl, did you get the right shot last night?" Alya was asking her.

"No. I took a few pictures, but nothing that really says _True Paris_. I guess I'm going to have to keep trying."

 _That's your cue,_ Adrien thought. "Oh, hey, Marinette," he started, turning in his seat to look at her. She straightened upright in her seat. _I guess I startled her,_ he thought.

"Sorry about yesterday. Are you free after school today? I don't have my fencing lesson today and I already cleared it with Nathalie."

She said nothing, eyes wide, but after a nudge from Alya, she nodded woodenly.

He smiled. "Alright, then." _Step one, accomplished._

The rest of the day went by in a blur, and before he knew it, it was the end of the day. Adrien leaned against the wall of the school, waiting on Marinette. She walked out with Nathaniel and Alya. She hiked her bag up a little on her shoulder as she waved goodbye to both of them. Alya and Nathaniel walked off together, likely working on their own entry for the contest, and Marinette looked around before spotting him.

She walked toward him, tripping over a small rise in the sidewalk, but correcting before she fell. Adrien rushed to her side. "Are you okay?" he asked.

A blush flushed her cheeks. "Yeah, we're good, er, I'm good," she uttered, a tiny wince twisting her features as she corrected her statement.

 _Like nothing happened, Adrien._ "There's a cafe a few blocks over. I thought we could walk there."

She nodded, and they set off together. It was a warm day, and they passed the park where Engraiser had been defeated the night before. Marinette paused at the metal fence on the exterior of the park.

"I hear that Ladybug and Cat Noir had a battle here last night," he said, moving to stand beside her.

"It's good that we have them to look out for the city," Marinette said, not looking at him. He wondered if she noticed she'd gotten out a complete sentence without stuttering. _Hm...so she's okay talking about superheroes, huh?_

He had an idea. "So what do you think Ladybug and Cat Noir would say is the 'true meaning of Paris'?"

Her lips twitched upward into a smile. "I think Ladybug would say that she's protecting the good inside of all of us. That the true spirit of Paris is hope." She jerked, shifting her eyes to the side as though suddenly becoming aware of her surroundings. "Or something like that," she finished in a hushed voice.

Adrien smiled at her. "No, that sounds exactly like her." He turned his attention back to the park.

"And what about Cat Noir?" Marinette asked, her fingertips toying with the top of the metal fence. "What would he say?"

 _That's an easy one,_ Adrien thought. "I think that he'd say she was right."

"Copycat," Marinette teased, before looking away again.

"No, really," Adrien persisted. "I think he'd say that hope is the only thing that can fight back against the dark forces of evil."

Marinette nodded, a smile growing at his words.

"Hey," Adrien commented. "Maybe that's the theme we should work on for the project."

"Hope against the darkness, I like it," Marinette commented.

They continued walking, making their way to the cafe. "I invited you," Adrien stated, getting out his wallet. "So it's my treat this time."

Marinette looked at him, eyes wide. "I...you want to- okay," she finished.

 _Guess the nervousness is back,_ he realized. They finished ordering, and sat down with their snacks.

"I'll take the camera for tonight, if you don't mind," he said. "I think I have a few ideas."

Marinette dug in her bag, her hand touching on something that made her look closer, but she pulled out the camera and handed it over. She glanced back at her bag, reaching into it again, but kept her hand under the table. She looked at him, finally meeting his his gaze.

"Adrien, ask you, there's something." She shook her head. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you…"

Adrien's eyebrows rose. "What is it?"

"Would you-"

"Adrien!" a voice called out from across the cafe, and he turned to see Chloe walking toward the two of them. _Not the best timing, Chloe_ , he thought, but stood to greet her, anyway. He looked back to see Marinette fiddling with her bag again, whatever she'd been about to say apparently lost for the moment.

"So I talked to Daddy, and got our reservation moved to Saturday. Now you have to go. You promised." She touched his arm.

He nodded. "Okay, but I was kind of in the middle of something." He gestured toward the table where Marinette sat.

"It's alright," Marinette said, keeping her head down. "I should probably be getting back to the bakery anyway." She stood. "Thanks for dinner," she mumbled before hurrying off.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Before the Storm

Marinette was kicking herself once she was a block away. She'd had her big chance, and she'd blown it. Of course, Chloe showing up hadn't helped. Now that Adrien had plans for Saturday night, there was no way he'd want to go to the Jagged Stone concert with her. She sighed, thinking about it.

"Cheer up, Marinette," Tiki said, popping her head out of her purse. "At least you were able to talk to him this time. That's progress, right?"

"I suppose you're right, Tiki. I guess I just got my hopes up."

She pulled out her phone, dialed Alya, and filled her in on her disaster of an afternoon.

"That Chloe! I can't believe the nerve of that girl, showing up to your dinner with Adrien like that," Alya ranted.

"I guess I won't be needing those tickets now. Maybe you and Nino could go?"

"Thanks, but I could never enjoy myself knowing you missed your chance with Adrien. Besides, I think Nathaniel and I are going to be getting together to work on the project again this weekend. You should hear some of the ideas that boy has!"

"Nathaniel's a true artist. You guys are probably going to win."

"You know it! Listen, do you want me to come over? We could eat ice cream and talk about what an idiot Adrien is for not seeing how awesome you really are."

"Nah. I think I'm okay, but thanks for listening."

"Let me know if you change your mind."

"Will do. Bye, Alya."

"Later," she answered, and the line disconnected.

Marinette's phone sounded again, and she glanced down at the screen. She had a text from Adrien. She smiled, and opened it.

It read: "Everything okay?"

She typed back: "Yeah, just remembered I agreed to help out my parents with an order tonight. Sorry."

A few seconds later, a reply came through: "Glad you're okay. Keep your eyes out for something that fits the theme we came up with. Looking forward it seeing what we both get!"

What _we_ get, huh? Marinette closed her eyes, hugged the phone to her chest and let out a contented giggle.

Her phone had a camera on it, might as well do as Adrien suggested and be on watch for something. Hope against the darkness. It was a good theme, something that she could get behind, both as Marinette and as Ladybug. She took a few photos on her way home, a flower growing out of a crack in the pavement, a play of light and shadow in an alley with a still puddle reflecting the sun. _Still not good enough, but at least I'm getting more practice._

"I'm home!" she called out as she entered the bakery.

"Hello dear," her father called, his arms loaded down with a large box that could only contain a cake. "Get the door for me?"

Marinette moved to hold to door open as her father carried the cake outside, and placed it carefully inside the back hatch of the customer's car. They went back inside together afterwards.

As usual, Marinette picked up a few macarons before heading upstairs. Thankfully, she didn't have much homework today, but with the delay of eating with Adrien, it was already getting late. She rushed through her homework as Tiki at the sweets. The sun was getting low again when she finished.

"Tiki...it's time for a patrol, spots on!"

The light covered her, and she felt the power filling her again. Becoming Ladybug meant more than strength and speed. It was like being _more._ She loved it, even with all the pressures that being a superhero brought.

Remembering how Cat Noir had stopped by the balcony on his own last night, she decided she'd better hurry. Once on the roof, she exhaled, relieved to not find him here. With a toss of her yo-yo, and a pull, she was away.

The wind felt good against her cheek as she swung from rooftop to rooftop. There was a chill bite to the air that told her rain was coming before the night was over. All she knew was it felt like heaven. After a while, she determined that it was going to be a quiet evening, and started searching for a place to rest for a minute. She was surprised not to have seen Cat Noir while she was out.

She returned to the rooftop from last night, with the high chimney that gave a view of the Eiffel Tower. There, seated where she had been the night before, was Cat himself.

"Hey kitty," she said, dropping to the roof. "I didn't see you on my patrol. Did you finish early?"

"I just got here a few minutes ago," he explained, but without his usual humor. _Was everything okay?_

"You alright, Cat Noir?" Ladybug asked, looking up at him.

He nodded, scooting over, and patting the area next to him. _What's he up to?_ Curiosity won out, and with a hop, she sat next to him.

"So...how did it go?" Cat asked, flicking his eyes over to her before returning to watching the sunset.

"How did what go?"

"You know, telling that boy that you like him."

She jumped off the chimney. "What is it with you and my love life, anyway?"

"Your happiness is important to me, Ladybug."

"Okay, where's the punchline?" she joked, looking back at him, but Cat Noir's face was serious for once. Ladybug's smile faded. "Fine, if you must know, it was a disaster."

"Got too nervous again?" he asked with a sympathetic smile.

She frowned, and started pacing. "No. It was actually going fine for a while. It was getting easier to talk to him, I was even going to ask him to go to...to go somewhere with me."

"So what happened?"

"You know, I'm not used to this from you," Ladybug said, glancing back up to where he still sat. "Can we just go back to puns and fighting evil?"

He stood, did a front flip off the chimney and landed with a flourish. "In case you haven't noticed, Bugaboo, there isn't any evil to fight right now." He shrugged. "We don't know where Hawk Moth is. I'm trying to be a friend to you."

"A friend…" she repeated, smiling. "You're right, I'm being rude. We are partners, after all. I'm just used to seeing you a certain way. I don't know how to take this side of you. It's...different."

He smiled, and leaned against the chimney. "So tell me what happened already."

"We got interrupted by someone - another girl from school. I finally had the courage, and then I lost my chance to ask him."

Cat Noir frowned for a second. "Ladybug...what if we know each other in our regular lives already?"

"I think I'd remember someone like you, kitty."

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right." He stretched, and walked to the edge of the roof. "Well, I think I'm going to check on a friend."

 _Check on a...crap, he's going to my house! I have to stop him._ "Wait!" she shouted.

He paused, looking back at her. "Did you need something?"

"Since when do you have friends?"

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were jealous," he teased and winked at her.

Ladybug hoped the dark hid the warm that flooded her cheeks. She most certainly was _not_ jealous. Not of him, anyway. "You never mentioned them, that's all."

"You were the one who said we shouldn't talk about our private lives, not me. If you remember, I wanted to tell you who I was a long time ago."

"I don't want Hawk Moth to use us against each other!" she blurted out, covering her mouth in surprise at her own statement. "Or other people we care about."

"I'd never tell your secret, Ladybug," he whispered, stepping closer, his hand reaching out toward her, only to fall at his side. "No matter what he did to me."

"No offense, kitty, but you've been affected by his villains before. It's easy to say now, but what if you were under his power?"

Cat Noir blanched. "You really think that little of me? That I would give you over to him?" He stalked to the far end of the rooftop. "You're right...maybe we _don't_ know each other." In a flash, his pole extended, and he was gone.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Without Her

The rain started, light at first, but soon built to a heavy downpour. Cat Noir didn't stop until he was about a block away from Marinette's. He had to confirm his suspicions.

Too many facts were lining up. Ladybug and Marinette both getting interrupted in the middle of asking something - by a girl from school, no less - on the same day? Both having trouble talking to a boy? How had he not seen it before? It also explained the mixed feelings he'd been having toward Marinette. But that meant...that the boy Marinette liked _was_ him, after all, not Nathaniel. He'd be the one to stand her up at Andre's ice cream shop. And _he_ was the boy Ladybug had been talking about. He'd been jealous of _himself._ He shook his head.

 _My lady likes me back._ That thought made him smile, but why couldn't she just trust him? Would she have trusted Adrien? Ugh, this situation made his head hurt. He wished he could talk to Plagg about it, but he held his position. He was grateful for the rain, hiding where he crouched in the shadows, waiting...and waiting. After a couple of hours, she still didn't show. Was it possible he was wrong?

He gave it a few more minutes, trying to ascertain if Marinette was already home, but the lights upstairs were already off, and the bakery interior lights were dimmed, being closed for business for the day. He looked at the communicator in his staff. Should he try calling Ladybug? She probably didn't want to hear from Cat Noir just now, but it was worth a try.

She didn't answer, and he disconnected without leaving a message. _Is she avoiding me now? Maybe that's why she didn't come home...but where is she?_ Ladybug had always kept things about her habits a secret. He didn't really know enough about her to know where she might have gone. His last words to her hadn't been the nicest, and he regretted saying it. He'd just been angry.

"Come on, Ladybug, pick up," he muttered, opening the communicator again. It dialed, and he got her voicemail. "Ladybug, look, I'm sorry about what I said. Just...call me back, okay?"

He vaulted over to Marinette's rooftop balcony, looking for signs of her. But the windows were dark, and nothing on the rooftop seemed out of place. He sat on one of the chairs, remembering their friendly conversation the last time he'd been here.

Looking up at the night sky, the rain still falling, a few drops landing on his face, he whispered, "I'm sorry, Marinette." Standing, he leapt to the railing. With one final look backwards, he extended his staff, twirling it to slow his fall, and dropped down to the street below.

Marinette woke with a splitting headache, and only slowly became aware of her surroundings. She was in a unfamiliar room. It was relatively empty, with white walls...and bars blocking her in. _Where am I?!_ She attempted to sit up, but the room spun around her, and she braced her hands on the floor in front of her. _Her_ hands. Marinette's, not Ladybug's.

In a panic, she reached up to touch her earrings, and found that they weren't there. She tried to remember. She and Cat Noir had fought - she remembered that much - but things after that were a blur. She must have transformed back after their conversation, but had she taken them off or...no, she couldn't think about the alternative.

She took a better look around at the room. Past the bars was a desk with a chair, and above it, a camera with a monitor mounted to the wall. The monitor was currently blank, but she was willing to bet someone was keeping an eye on her. But who would want to kidnap Marinette? Ladybug she could understand...unless they already knew who she was? Her heart pounded at the thought of her identity being known. _My family could be in danger!_

The monitor flickered to life, revealing the last face she wanted to see.

"Hawk Moth," she spat.

He smirked, tilting his head. "Good, I see no introductions are needed. You may be wondering why I've brought you here."

 _Then he doesn't know I'm Ladybug?_ Her heart rate started to settle. She might not be able to transform, but at least Hawk Moth hadn't taken her Miraculous.

"You will be my guest for the time being, Marinette, but it is not yet time to let the cat know where I've taken you."

 _Cat Noir? This is about him?_ She frowned.

"Denying your connection is pointless. He's saved you more times than anyone else in the city, and this time, _you_ will be his downfall." He chuckled.

She had the urge to taunt him back, but Marinette had to remember that she wasn't Ladybug right now. Even if she was face to face with Hawk Moth, what could she do?

"If you think I'm going to help you hurt Cat Noir, you-"

"We will see, Marinette. I believe you will come to see things _my_ way, in time." The monitor went dark again, leaving Marinette alone again with her own thoughts.

 _You'll see things my way? What did he mean by that? Is he going to akumatize me?_

She was struck by the irony of her situation - hadn't she just warned Cat Noir that they could be used against each other when he wanted to tell her his secret identity? But to think, it was _Marinette's_ connection to Cat Noir that ended up being the problem in the end. Her purse was even missing, meaning she didn't have her cell phone. No phone, no Miraculous, no communicator. _Does Hawk Moth have it after all? No, don't panic. Think this through._

She took stock of the things in the room again. Her cell contained a bed with a bare mattress, and outside there was the desk and chair, the camera overhead and the monitor. _Not a lot to go on._ Well, there was at least one thing she could do. She dragged the mattress off the bed and positioned it upright against the bars, sittng on the floor in front of it. Hawk Moth might be able to keep her here, but he didn't have to watch everything she did. She settled in, trying to figure out a way to escape.

The next morning, Adrien groaned as he got out of bed. He had gone to bed late, and hadn't gotten much sleep. He checked the communicator again, still no answer. He looked at Plagg, who hovered nearby. Plagg said nothing, but his expression was sympathetic.

Adrien turned on the TV as he started getting ready for school. It was Friday, thankfully, meaning he would probably get a chance to sleep in after today. The story caught his attention immediately, and he turned up the volume.

"Our top story today is quite concerning," Nadje stated, looking directly into the camera. "Dozens of people throughout the city disappeared last night without a trace. No one saw or heard anything, but reports say the missing people went outside and simply never came home. Is this the work of a new supervillain? We'll keep you up to date with the latest."

"People disappearing throughout the city?" Plagg repeated, floating closer. "Sure sounds like Hawk Moth."

"What if he has Marinette?" They'd had a talk about his theory last night that Marinette was Ladybug. Well, Adrien had talked, Plagg had listened. "Without Ladybug, we can't de-evilize the akuma even if we find it."

Plagg sighed. "We need to go visit someone after school," he clarified.

"Who?"

"We'll go together later," he repeated.

 _More secrets,_ Adrien thought, but nodded. "Alright. I don't know how I'm going to concentrate, thinking that she might be one of the missing people...especially after the way things ended. But I guess skipping school won't help, either. With any luck, she'll be there, and it will all be okay."

But of course, Marinette wasn't at school, either. The others all speculated about what was happening, and their belief that Ladybug and Cat Noir would save the missing people.

Adrien listened to their optimism with a heavy heart. _How am I supposed to save them without her?_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Clued In

Adrien couldn't wait for the day to be over. He was the first out of his seat at the end of the day, but Chloe stepped out in front of him.

"Adrikins, don't forget about tomorrow," she said.

"Tomorrow? Oh right, dinner. Look, Chloe, with people disappearing and everything...maybe dinner's not such a good idea."

"Whatever," she said with a dismissive wave of her fingers. "Ladybug will take care of it. We'll be fine. Anyway, you promised."

He'd give Chloe credit for knowing how to get her way, but this was too important. "I'm sorry, but I can't promise anything right now, not until I know it's safe. In fact, you should probably go home right away and stay there."

She paused, looking at him before flicking her eyes to the side. "But I was really looking forward to it."

"I have to go, sorry Chloe!" He left her gaping at him in confusion. He was pretty sure he'd end up paying for that eventually, but he had to find Marinette. He ran a few blocks over to the park. Finding a deserted area behind the fountain, he opened his jacket and looked at Plagg.

"Alright, so where's this person we're meeting?" Adrien looked around to see if anyone was coming that might overhear their conversation.

"Start at Marinette's. You'll need to transform, though. You don't want her parents to see you."

"Her parents…" Adrien sighed. "Man, they've got to be worried sick right now. Okay, Plagg. Claws out!"

The familiar rush washed over him, along with the hope that he could figure out what had happened. Marinette and the others were counting on him - he couldn't let them down. He sprinted the few blocks and dropped to the rooftop balcony without a sound.

There was no one outside, so he opened the hatch and entered Marinette's room. He noticed were several clippings from his old modeling ads hanging on one wall. He smiled, wondering how he had been so blind to her feelings before. From the looks of it, Marinette was just as interested in Adrien as he'd been in Ladybug.

He didn't see anyone in the room, so who were they supposed to be meeting? He glanced around, taking in the feminine yet tasteful interior of her room. Marinette always did have the best design ideas. He saw a few pieces she was working on - handbags, from the looks of it. But no sign of anyone. He returned to the roof, across a few rooftops, and down to the ground behind a windowless building. He needed to talk to Plagg, and he couldn't do it as Cat Noir.

"Plagg, claws in," he said.

The kwami formed, already frowning. "She wasn't there."

"Who were we looking for?"

"Tiki," Plagg answered sullenly.

Adrien knew that Tiki was Ladybug's kwami. During the fight with Dark Owl not long ago, they'd had to transform back into their normal selves for a few minutes. Adrien wished now that he had opened his eyes. He'd certainly _wanted_ to.

Adrien scowled, the realization dawning on him. "You little traitor! You knew who Ladybug was all along!"

Plagg winced. "No, just since the fight with Dark Owl. I _wanted_ to tell you, but we kwamis are sworn to secrecy."

"The time for secrets is over. I need to save her Plagg, and if you know something that can help, you'd better tell me."

Plagg sighed. "I'd hoped she'd be here. But, that could be a good thing. If Marinette still has her Miraculous-"

"She'd have responded to my messages by now. No, something happened, I know it."

Plagg looked uncertain, but finally raised his eyes to meet Adrien's. "I think there's someone you need to meet."

"And this guy can help us get Ladybug back?" Adrien questioned, looking at the front of the apartment building.

"Master Fu is the guardian of the Miraculous. If anyone will know what to do, it will be him."

Adrien nodded, walked to the front of the building, and put his hand on the handle. Taking a deep breath, he turned it and opened the door, taking the staircase ahead of him. _There was so much I didn't know. So Marinette knew this Master Fu guy? Our kwamis knew our identities...but I'm positive she didn't know that I'm Cat Noir. I guess Plagg was telling the truth about being sworn to secrecy._

He knocked on the door, and several seconds passed before it opened. Adrien looked down at a face that was familiar to him. Where had he seen the short Asian man before? Then it hit him: the day he met Plagg.

"Hello, Cat Noir," Master Fu said with a polite smile. "Won't you come in?"

Adrien gave a small bow and entered the apartment. It was furnished sparsely, but in a traditional style.

Master Fu looked at Plagg. "You have brought him here, Plagg?"

Plagg nodded. "Yes. Marinette is missing, and we fear one of Hawk Moth's minions may have taken her."

He looked up at Plagg in surprise, then at Adrien. "Then you know?"

"I figured it out," Adrien said, running a hand through his hair. "She stopped responding to my messages, it's not like her. What if Hawk Moth has her Miraculous already?"

"Master," a voice sounded, cutting off whatever Master Fu would have said. Adrien looked to see another kwami - this one small and green - floating toward them. "You will wish to see this."

"Yes. This is my kwami, Wayzz," Master Fu said by way of introduction as the four of them entered the other room.

A small television set seemed out of place amongst the antique furnishings that lined the rest of the apartment. Adrien frowned, seeing Hawk Moth's face centered on the screen.

"Cat Noir, I know you are watching. You will have figured out by now that I have something that belongs to you. If you want it back, Commandant will meet you at the Arc de Triomphe. Come alone, and bring your Miraculous. Otherwise…" the screen went blank.

Adrien scowled. "If he thinks I'm going to let him hurt her…"

"You must not react out of anger, Cat Noir," Master Fu cautioned.

"Why not?" Plagg questioned. "We've been looking for a chance to get to Hawk Moth forever."

"Because it's obviously a trap," Wayzz supplied.

"Wayzz is right," Master Fu agreed, nodding. "Getting yourself captured will only put both the black cat Miraculous within Hawk Moth's grasp. We must think of another strategy."

Adrien paced, clenching his fist. _Marinette…_ He'd heard what Master Fu said, but if Cat Noir didn't show up, then his lady was...no, he wasn't going to let that happen. _Focus!_

"I noticed he said 'come alone'..." Plagg observed.

Adrien's eyes widened. "Then he doesn't know about Marinette being Ladybug."

"We may be able to use this to our advantage," Master Fu pointed out.

"You're going to think this is terrible, but I have an idea," Adrien announced.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Plan

"You're right," Plagg observed, then frowned at Adrien. "Your idea _is_ terrible."

"It's going to work," he insisted. "Or do you have a better idea of how we're going to get close enough?"

"No, but you're talking about going in there without your powers!"

"Only as a last resort, and you'll be there too," Adrien replied, a small wrinkle of concern forming on his brow.

"Hmm," Master Fu interjected. "This might work. _Adrien_ may be able to find an opening that Cat Noir could not, but you need to be careful. No one must learn that you are Cat Noir."

"I can do this," Adrien proclaimed, standing a little straighter. "Ladybug is counting on me."

"I have noted where the disappearances occurred," Master Fu informed them. "So far, they have all been located less than two kilometers of the Du-pain Cheng residence. You should begin your search there, as it is likely that is where she was taken from. With any luck, you may find some clue as to where he is keeping Marinette and the others. If not, and you encounter the enemy, then you must remain as Adrien."

"But what happens when Cat Noir doesn't show up for the meeting?" Plagg questioned.

Master Fu looked over at an old style record player with a large horn. "I believe I may have a solution to that particular problem that will at least buy you some time. You need not worry."

Adrien nodded, and opened his jacket again for Plagg. He looked at Master Fu, a million questions on his mind, but he knew there wasn't time to explore them right now. Instead, he just smiled.

"Thank you for meeting with me, Master Fu."

He smiled. "Good luck, Cat Noir."

Outside, Adrien took a deep breath. There was no way this was going to be easy. But first, to find out more about this Commandant, and the missing people. Only then could he put this plan into action. He ducked back into the alley, scanning the street to see if anyone was coming.

He had a passing thought about what his father must be thinking. Adrien had left school and hadn't returned home, but if he went back now, his father would ground him for life. He sighed, guilt weighing on his shoulders. Adrien had always tried to be a good son, worked hard at everything he did in order to win his father's approval. _Better he thinks I disappeared with the others than deliberately disobeyed him,_ he thought.

"Sorry, Plagg, but it's time to go to work. Plagg...claws out!"

The energy washed over him, and he felt his muscles strengthen, his senses heighten. Transforming was a risk, as the enemy was waiting for him, but he knew that Cat Noir was better suited to tracking the enemy. He leapt, pushing off the wall of the alley and landing on the roof. _I need to make sure I'm not seen._

Cat Noir started at the roof with the high chimney, the place where he and Ladybug had argued. There was nothing; no lingering scent, no clues to be found. He walked to the edge of the roof, and glanced down at the street below. Nothing here either. He continued searching from his vantage, until he spotted something in a nearby alley.

It was pink, and partially hidden behind a set of trash cans. A quick glance told him that there were no people in the area, and he descended down to the alleyway to investigate. The pink object turned out to be a small purse. He recognized it as the one Marinette often carried.

Nothing else in the alley seemed out of place, so Cat Noir returned to the rooftop before examining it further. It smelled of her; a soft floral scent with an undertone of baked goods. _Marinette..._ he clenched his fist. _Not in anger,_ he cautioned himself, trying to remember Master Fu's words.

He opened it, and found her cell phone. He saw the missed texts and calls from various people, including a few of his own. _Best not to carry this around,_ he thought, and removed the battery. He searched through the purse, finding a tube of lip gloss and a pen, He also found two pieces of paper, and pulled them out, realizing at once that they were tickets for the Jagged Stone concert tomorrow. _That must have been what she was trying ask._ Something else was in the side pocket, and his heart lurched when he saw her earrings.

"And that's why we couldn't find Tiki," he muttered.

Part of him had hoped that she had her Miraculous with her. Ladybug could fight back against pretty powerful opponents. Why would she have taken them off?

Checking the time, he realized he should be on his way to the Arc de Triomphe, having turned up nothing in his search that would lead him to her. He took the earrings with him, tucking them safely into a zippered pocket. If he could just get them to her, then the two of them could fight their way out together. He returned the rest of her things to her purse, traveled back to the bakery, and left the purse inside the electrical box outside her balcony. It wasn't pretty, but at least she'd be able to get it back, and it would be protected against the weather.

It didn't take him long to cover the two kilometers or so to the landmark, but he remained hidden, using the shadows of the rooftops cover his approach.

What he saw surprised him: a villain stood near the Arc, dressed in military dress that seemed more like something out of The Nutcracker than modern military. Around him civilians were lined up in neatly formed rows. _That's Commandant, apparently, but how is he controlling those people?_

Cat Noir watched the soldiers more closely, his enhanced vision giving him a slight advantage in perspective. They were dressed in normal everyday clothing - a mix of suits, dresses, jeans and casual shirts - but they all stood at attention. On each person's sleeve or shoulder was a different number in black writing. Their eyes stared ahead, unfocused.

Aside from Commandant and his army, the media was there too, camped out at the edges of the area. He recognized Nadje Chamack as one of the news reporters on the scene. He considered warning them to leave, but he knew from experience how persistent reporters could be, and Cat Noir being in the spotlight would definitely give away the element of surprise.

Looking to the far edges of the open area, and saw more of Commandant's soldiers stationed at various entrances. Outside of their perimeter, the police were parked, flashing lights warning anyone else not to enter. He wasn't getting in that way, not without being noticed. Cat Noir backtracked, and made his way closer to the media vans.

He crept closer, and was able to hear the voices of various reporters recording their live feeds and takes. He focused his attention on Nadje.

"...But there has been no sign of Cat Noir or Ladybug. This army seems to be following the supervillain, Commandant, who we know to be working in service to the notorious mastermind, Hawk Moth. They came from the western side streets, blending in with the crowd before snapping to attention in this organized formation. We haven't been able to get any closer than this, but speculation is high. What exactly does Hawk Moth have that belongs to Cat Noir? Is it enough to push him into surrendering? And what about Ladybug? I'm Nadje Chamack, live on the scene. Stay tuned."

 _West, huh?_ He made his way to the western edge of the clearing. Sure enough, there were guards posted here, too. _Come on, Master Fu. You said you'd buy me time!_

No sooner than the thought had entered his mind, but he saw the last thing he expected: himself. He looked down at his own form, dressed in full Cat Noir garb, walking through the street. This imposter passed the guards, who parted to let him enter, before closing in behind him.

 _Who is that?_ He tried to get a closer look. Whatever was happening, this must be what Master Fu had meant. The guards had now turned their attention toward the Arc and the army. Cat Noir smiled. This was the opening he needed. He hopped over a few rooftops, careful to be quick, but light on his feet, and found what he was looking for: a narrower street with fewer guards.

Dropping down behind them, he used his staff to knock both of them out. They fell easily, and he realized that while these people were following orders, they were still just ordinary people. He dragged one of the men further down the alley behind a dumpster, and returned for the other before whispering, "Plagg, claws in."

He removed the second man's jacket, pulling it on over his own. The black number "24" showed prominently on his sleeve. He hid the other unconscious man as well, hoping the two men would remain out long enough for this to work. He allowed his stare to go blank, as the others had been, and stood guard in their place.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Little Akuma

Marinette pulled at the bars for what must have been the hundredth time, frustrated at her prison, but they didn't budge, the same as they hadn't the ninety-nine other times she'd tried it before. She turned back around, ducking behind the mattress. Desperate, she covered her mouth and whispered, "Spots on." But, of course, nothing happened. She sighed.

 _I need a way to disable that camera,_ she thought, but nothing she had on hand seemed a viable option. She wondered what was happening out there, and how Cat Noir was doing without Ladybug. Marinette had been alone here, but for a few times when someone came in with food for her. They never said anything, and left immediately after leaving a tray. The last time had been a few hours ago, and it had been daylight still.

The monitor clicked on, and she looked up to see a scene of Paris. A news ticker scrolled across the bottom of the screen, reading the headline "Cat Noir To Turn Over Miraculous". _No!_ She pushed her face close to the bars, trying to get a better look at story, when Hawk Moth's voice came over the speaker.

"I thought you would appreciate watching Cat Noir fall. This is one time he won't land on his feet!" The same evil laughter sounded, fading out, but the screen remained lit. She ignored Hawk Moth's attempt to intimidate her, and instead focused on the monitor.

A figure stepped out into the lights from a side street: Cat Noir. _No, kitty, what are you doing?!_ She watched in horror as he slowly made his way forward through the crowd of people. They wore the same expressions as the ones who delivered her food. The villain that Cat Noir was approaching looked to be military. _This can't really be happening!_

Marinette felt the softest of breezes and jerked to the side in time to see an evilised akuma fluttering a foot in front of her face. _So that was Hawk Moth's plan all along, trick me into feeling negative emotions. Don't give in to it,_ she told herself, remembering how other people had wound up becoming victims of Hawk Moth's little butterflies. _I need to think of something that makes me happy._

Adrien came to mind, and she instantly calmed. _Hope against the darkness, right, Adrien? The true meaning of Paris._ She thought about the subtle shifts in his blonde hair as he turned to talk to Nino in class, and the smile he had given her when they named the theme for their photography contest entry.

 _I won't lose hope! I have to trust in Cat Noir. He may be a bit much at times, but he's reliable, and he's had my back in many a fight._

The butterfly flew away, disappearing under the tiny crack in the door. Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. Hawk Moth's chuckle carried over the speaker, the sound grating on her nerves. She wasn't surprised in the least when the monitor clicked off a moment later, leaving her without any further answers. _Good luck, Cat Noir. I believe in you._

"He really does look like you," Plagg commented. The kwami was peeking out from the heavier jacket.

"Shh," Adrien whispered, putting a hand over Plaggs head and pushing him back underneath

"It's hot in there! Besides, nobody's even paying attention to us," Plagg retorted. "They're all looking at you...the _other_ you."

He had to admit that Plagg was right. Since he'd taken up his post, no one had so much as glanced at him. That told him one thing: Commandant wasn't aware of everything, just what he himself was paying attention to. That was a valuable piece of information. He wondered if his soldiers had independent thought. He'd taken out the two in his alley as quick as he could, too worried about attracting notice to take time to question them.

The phony Cat Noir approached the platform where Commandant stood, looking out over the crowd. That Cat reached to take off his ring, but stopped. He grinned and wiggled his fingers before disappearing into nothing. Adrien gaped. _A hologram? An illusion? What was that?_

Commandant aimed something from his wrist to the side of the Arc itself. An image appeared - Hawk Moth himself.

"Cat Noir, you managed to keep Ladybug out of this, so that tells me you can at least half-follow directions." His eyebrows rose, drawing his mask upward. "But perhaps you doubt my sincerity."

The image changed and he saw her: Marinette, grasping at metal bars, and behind her... _no!_ As he watched, an evilized akuma fluttered closer. She noticed it at the last second, moving sideways away from the tiny creature, before the screen changed back.

Hawk Moth looked at the camera. "Time is running out for Miss Dupain-Cheng. Don't disappoint her, Cat Noir." The projection stopped.

 _Marinette...akumatized?_ He shook his head, trying to clear it. No, Marinette was strong. _Fight him, Marinette!_

"Looks like we're on the move," Plagg stated, ducking back in the jacket.

He was right, the rest of the soldiers were moving, together as a group. He stepped into the flow and followed where they went. With any luck, he'd be in Commandant's base in no time.

Hawk Moth waited, the akuma flying into the room through the small opening in the large glass window. It flapped its tiny wings, hovering close to the window, but came no closer.

"So many negative emotions," he commented, savoring the moment. "Citizens all over Paris worrying, fearful for their loved ones. The Dupain-Chengs crying out against the injustice." He looked over his shoulder toward the small screen above him that showed Marinette.

"But it is not _their_ emotions that interest me. You've resisted my akumas before, Marinette. Your will is strong, but I wonder, what will it take for you to break?"

He frowned, deep in thought. "Nooroo, dark wings, fall!"

The energy that fueled Hawk Moth's persona left him, and the moth kwami formed in front of him once again.

Gabriel Agreste looked at his kwami, but knew Nooroo would have no more answers than he had himself. Time to return. Before he could reach the door, the intercom system chirped.

"Mr. Agreste?" Nathalie asked politely.

He walked to the platform that would raise to the floor high above him, straightening his lapels. He reached her in little time at all.

"What is it, Nathalie?" he demanded.

"It's Adrien...I went to pick him up after school. He didn't show, and he's not answering his cell phone." Her usually poised expression gave way to a mild frown of concern.

"What? How did you let this happen?" He glanced up to the hulking bodyguard standing nearby that was assigned to Adrien. "And where were you? Never mind, _find him."_

The bodyguard grunted, and Nathalie bowed her head.

"At once," she said, descending the stairs.

Gabriel glowered. It wasn't like Adrien not to come home, especially without telling Nathalie. Could he have gotten taken with the others? He immediately went back to the large painting on the wall, and pushed the secret buttons that would take him back downstairs. The platform lowered, and he brought up a viewing screen. The news was replaying what had happened at the Arc de Triomphe, but this time he wasn't watching Cat Noir. He was scanning the crowd. The news reporter, that Chamack woman was explaining what happened.

"And as you can see behind me, the missing individuals seem to be following the orders of Commandant and are filing out of the square. We still haven't seen Ladybug or the real Cat Noir. One can only hope that they are somewhere, planning a way to defeat this villain."

Gabriel looked at the collection of soldiers, but the shot was wide, and he couldn't make out any of the individual faces.

"Nooroo, dark wings, rise!"

In an instant, Gabriel was covered in a thousand butterfly forms, and he stepped out as Hawk Moth once more.

"Commandant," he said, the purple frame of the moth forming around his face.

"Yes, Hawk Moth?" Commandant responded.

"Tell me, did you add this boy to your army?" he said, sending an image of Adrien.

"No, Hawk Moth. Is it the mission that he should he serve?"

"No, that one is to be avoided."

"Understood."

He disconnected the communication. Hawk Moth frowned. _If Adrien hadn't been pulled into Commandant's army, then where was he?_ He knew Nathalie would be searching and making phone calls. There wasn't much more he could do for the moment.

A flash from the other screen caught his attention. The camera in Marinette's cell was askew. _What is happening?_ He watched as Marinette took the other utensil from her tray, and flung it at the camera, knocking it further off target, and he could no longer see her.

He adjusted the camera remotely again, tilting it back to face her cell, and saw her disappointment. He watched as she picked up the bowl of food, palmed it in her hand. He admired her spirit, but it wouldn't save her. The bowl flew toward the camera, and the screen went dark, covered in the gooey substance. A thought began to form, and sinister smile spread across his face. Yes, Miss Dupain-Cheng would help him bring down Cat Noir, whether she liked it or not.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: The Mission

Adrien wished the troops would move faster. The longer this took, the greater chance that his infiltration would be discovered. Even Plagg was silent for once, recognizing the need for subtlety. Commandant's soldiers weaved through the streets, finally arriving at the front of an older building. Adrien recognized it as an old indoor shopping center that had been abandoned only recently.

He entered the old mall with the others, and was amazed to see it still looking pristine, with the security cameras still in place. Transforming into Cat Noir was going to be a problem with all those those around. They stopped in what remained of a food court. _This villain is more organized than most. Maybe it's because Hawk Moth is personally involved this time._ He watched as Commandant walked to the front of the group.

Commandant looked dazed for a moment, as though listening to something else.

"Yes Hawk Moth. It will be done," Commandant stated, and without another word, walked to one of the side doors, and entered. The soldiers relaxed their stances, but the blank look remained.

 _I need to get over there, but how?_ Adrien glanced around and saw a side corridor that led back between the food court and a series of stores. He slowly started edging his way through the crowd, making his way there.

Hawk Moth continued watching the monitors. Marinette's camera was still covered in dried food. A few patches were visible, but not enough to see what was happening. He wouldn't need to, however, not once Commandant used his ability. Marinette will be one of his faithful soldiers, just like the rest.

He watched as Commandant left the main walkway of the former mall and started in Marinette's direction. Movement on one of the other screens pulled his attention. One of the soldiers was moving...no, that must not be a soldier at all. He zoomed in, watching as the figure in question made his way to a door in a side corridor. _Adrien?! But what was he doing there, if he wasn't one of his minion's troops?_ He remembered that Marinette and Adrien had been friends, she had even been to their home a couple of times. Was it possible they more than friends?

"Commandant!" Hawk Moth shouted, the hawk-shaped visor again appearing.

Commandant stopped in mid-stride. "I am following my orders," he said, almost defensively.

"Then why is that boy I mentioned earlier in the facility?!" Hawk Moth demanded.

"I'll take care of him at once," Commandant replied, turning back.

"No, don't touch him." He paused, thinking. His voice quieter, he said, "You need to let them all go."

"No, this city needs to learn organization! Structure! Routine!"

"Do as I say or I will take away your powers!" Hawk Moth commanded.

Commandant hesitated. "Without a proper regimen, they will never stay on schedule," he said, and disconnected from the communication.

Hawk Moth narrowed his eyes.

Adrien entered a small corridor that seemed to go behind the restaurants at the food court. He'd never really considered it before, but this must be how the workers got in. On the far side, he opened the next door as quietly as he could, and witnessed Commandant striding toward yet another door at the far end. The villain reached up and smashed the camera outside the door. _He doesn't want to be watched? I thought he and Hawk Moth were working together._ When he opened the door, Adrien caught a glimpse of bars, and blue-black pigtails. _Marinette!_

Ducking back inside the interior hallway behind the restaurants, he was relieved to see there were no cameras here. It was as good a place as he was going to get. Plagg rose up from under the jacket.

"It is time?" Plagg asked.

"You bet it is. Plagg, claws out!"

Adrien grinned as the power rushed in, filling his body with energy. When the transformation was complete, he listened again, but heard no sounds from the hallway. He crept forward after Commandant. He walked to the door he'd used, and was surprised when he found it unlocked.

Cat Noir flung the door open, ready to begin battle with the villain, only to see that Commandant was already gone. A man collapsed on the floor holding what appeared to be a medal of some sort, and above him flew the dark akuma.

Cat Noir dodged as it flew toward him, and back into the hallway. He knew he'd regret letting it go, but in front of him was something far more important.

"Marinette!"

"Cat Noir, you came," she said, smiling in relief.

"Are you alright?" he asked, getting closer to the cage. "I saw a video earlier. There was an akuma right behind you."

"Yeah, I'm okay, I didn't get akumatized, thankfully, but it was a close one. What happened to him?" she asked gesturing toward the man on the floor. "The akuma just rose up out him and flew away. I've never seen that happen before."

"I'm not sure, either," he admitted frowning. "Maybe it's some new trick from Hawk Moth, but we need to get you out of there. Step back."

Marinette moved to stand against the wall, away from the bars.

"Cataclysm!"

The black motes of power ran along the bars, and they corroded, disintegrating before her eyes.

She smiled at him, stepping forward out of her prison. "Thanks. He's been watching me," she said, pointing to the camera. "Hawk Moth, that is. I managed to hit the camera with my lunch earlier, but I don't know how much is covered."

"Nice shot," Cat Noir commented as he inspected it. He flashed her a quick smile before taking care of the offending camera with a quick jab of his staff. Marinette exhaled, finally feeling relief at being out from under Hawk Moth's watch.

The man on the floor looked dazed. "Where am I?" he asked.

"You got akumatized, but it's all over now," Cat Noir explained quickly. "Sorry, we can't stay to explain more. You should find the nearest exit and get out of here."

Cat Noir turned to Marinette. "We should leave, too. If the akuma is gone, then we should be okay, but-"

"Cat Noir, you're going to change back, I can get out on my own," Marinette urged, looking down at his ring.

"No, come on," he said, grabbing her hand. He opened the door and they went down the hallway together. The sounds of voices carried from the main area, telling him that he'd been right; once Commandant lost his akuma, the others were released from his power. But Cat Noir didn't head for the freed civilians, an instead dipped back down into the narrow corridor behind the restaurants.

Marinette looked at him. "The others were just down there, I could-"

"Wait, I have something for you," Cat Noir said, reaching into his pouch, and retrieving the earrings. Holding them in his fist, he closed the distance between them and whispered close to her ear, "I believe these belong to you...milady."


	13. Chapter 13

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is it, the final chapter!

I just wanted to say how wonderful this short journey has been. I'm used to writing for a different fandom, and the response to this story has been more than I ever would have expected. Every new review, favorite, and follower made my day. I may not have always responded, but know that I read each review, and I treasure them all (especially the one I had to translate from French! :D ). You guys are nothing short of amazing. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU :D

And now back to Marinette and Adrien...enjoy!

Chapter 13: In This Together

Marinette was stunned, wide-eyed, and for a moment, her mind went blank. _This can't be real, can it? Cat Noir knows who I am?!_ Oddly, it was the alert from his ring, the second toe disappearing from his Miraculous that brought her back to reality. Cat Noir didn't have long before his powers gave out, and he'd transform back.

She grabbed the earrings from his hand and hurried started to put them on, taking a step away from him.

"You know who I am? How did you find out?"

"I kind of figured it out for myself, last night. I'm sorry for what I said, Marinette. I was just angry that you didn't trust me."

"I…" Marinette said hesitantly, her heart still racing from the thought that Cat Noir had learned her secret identity. Her mind reeled with the implications of what this now meant, and tried to remember what things she had told Cat already, both as herself and as Ladybug.

Tiki came into view and immediately rushed to Marinette. She embraced her cheek, and Marinette raised a hand to hold her close.

"Thank goodness you're alright!" Tiki exclaimed. "When you took off your Miraculous...I was so worried."

"I'm so sorry, Tiki, I never should have done that. I was just upset and wanted some time alone to think."

Cat Noir's ring gave another ping, another alert.

"I'll go over there and stand guard while you change back," Marinette said in a rush, taking a step toward the door, but Cat Noir stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at him, her brow furrowed.

"It's okay, Marinette. I trust you." The silence stretched on for a second. "Stay," he pleaded.

She took a deep, shaky breath, her heart pounding in her chest. She met his eyes, already so familiar from all of their time together, and nodded. "I guess the cat's already half out of the bag, huh?"

Cat Noir took her hand, giving it a light squeeze as he smiled.

"Plagg, claws in."

The energy drained from him, the power that formed his mask and suit dissolving, reforming into Plagg, and Marinette was left staring blankly at the boy she'd had a crush on for forever, her hand still held tightly in his.

"A-Adrien…?" she mumbled in a quiet voice. Her shoulders slumped. "Of _course_ you're Adrien - as if this whole fiasco wasn't embarrassing enough." She couldn't look at him, turning her eyes to the floor. She felt her cheeks warming, and bit her lip.

Adrien reached out with his free hand to touch her cheek, applying soft pressure to turn her face to look at him. "You don't have to be embarrassed. I was really happy when I found out it was you, Marinette. You already know how I feel about you, and then when I learned that you like me back…" He shook his head. "Now there's nothing stopping from doing this."

Adrien moved closer, tilting her face up to meet his. His head descended, and his lips brushed hers in the gentlest whisper of a kiss. Afterwards, he pulled back and looked into her eyes.

"Ugh, do I have to watch this?" Plagg complained from behind them.

"Consider it payback for not telling who she was," Adrien said over his shoulder. He turned back toward her, running a nervous hand through his hair. His other hand let go of hers. "Sorry if that was too much. I've just wanted to do that for a really long time."

Marinette's gaze didn't waver, although her heart threatened to beat out of her chest. Cat Noir was _Adrien._ Her trusted partner, her friend, and the boy she liked were all the same person, and he'd just kissed her. It should be confusing, but it wasn't; somehow it just all made sense. It felt _right._

"Kitty…" she murmured softly, slowly raising her arms to wrap them around his neck, and pressed her lips against his. This kiss was more insistent, a promise of feelings accepted, and returned. Adrien's arms snaked around her waist and pulled her close.

"Um, guys, I hate to be with Plagg on this one, but we should really get moving," Tiki commented.

Reluctantly, they separated, their eyes both shining with hope in their newfound discovery. Adrien offered his hand to her again, Plagg and Tiki zooming in to hide under the outermost layer of their clothing. Marinette placed her hand in his, giving him a shy smile before they headed for the door, and freedom.

Hawk Moth stood in his lair, eyes glued to the monitor, watching as Adrien and Marinette ran from the building, hand-in-hand. His trap had succeeded in drawing in someone, he'd just not expected it to be his own son. He frowned. Adrien had feelings for this girl, that much was evident, but she had a connection to Cat Noir. He would have to think more on this.

"I was sure she was the key to bringing down Ladybug and Cat Noir," he uttered, clenching his fist.

He remembered his admiration for her spirit, when she had fought against him in the small defiant ways she could. And Adrien...his boy was more like his mother than he'd realized, barging into danger the way he had to get to her. Adrien would no doubt lie to him when he got home about where he had been.

"Nooroo, dark wings fall!"

Nooroo formed, and cast his eyes on the ground.

Gabriel Agreste stated, "It appears I was mistaken about using Miss Dupain-Cheng, but one day, I _will_ make my wish come true."

"Of course, Master," Nooroo replied.

Several blocks away, Adrien and Marinette finally stopped running in a deserted alleyway, breathing heavy. They met each other's gaze and laughed.

"This is so much easier as Ladybug," Marinette commented between breaths.

Adrien was bent over as well, trying to catch his own breath. "Tell me about it. Hey, why don't we-?"

She shook her head. "I have to get home," she responded. "My parents…"

"Right," Adrien winced, but nodded in agreement. "I'm sure Father has Nathalie and my bodyguard searching all over town for me right now. We'd better go back. But, I'll see you tomorrow, right? That is, assuming Father doesn't ground me forever."

"Tomorrow? But it's Saturday; there's no school tomorrow. Oh, do you mean for patrol?"

"No, the concert," Adrien stated, leaning closer to her. "You _were_ going to ask me, weren't you Bugaboo?" he pouted, and the look was so Cat Noir that it took her aback.

"This...is going to take some getting used to," she said with a nervous chuckle, feeling her face warm. "I always thought you were just teasing me with that stuff."

"Never, I meant every word," he replied. "Oh, that reminds me; I found your purse. I left it in the electrical box near your balcony."

"Thank goodness," she said, breathing a sigh of relief. "And, yes, I was planning to ask you, at least until Chloe showed up."

"Chloe," Adrien said with a sigh, a small wrinkle forming on his head.

"I know she's your friend, and she did invite you first. You must see _something_ in her," Marinette joked. "But, I should get going. I don't want to leave mom and dad waiting."

"I want to go to the concert with you," Adrien declared. "But you're right; it wouldn't be right to ditch Chloe like that. I guess I should still meet up with her. But hey, meet me on the roof about an hour before sunset, okay? I have an idea for our project."

"The project...I'd nearly forgotten. Hope against the darkness - you know, that thought actually got me through." She lowered her head. _"You_ got me through that. Thanks, Adrien."

"Marinette…" Adrien said, pulling her into a quick hug, grateful again that she was safe. "I'm just happy you can talk to me now. For a while, I thought you must have hated me."

She shook her head. "Never, but I think knowing that you're Cat helps. It's hard to feel nervous when I know what a silly kitty you are," She smiled. "Until tomorrow, then."

He pulled her hand up to his lips, brushing a light kiss across her knuckles. "Until then, my lady."

Cat Noir paced the rooftop. _She's going to show, right?_ He checked the time, but he was still early. The sun was approaching the horizon, and he hoped she'd show up soon. Then, he spotted her, swinging in to land on the roof near him.

"Hey kitty," she greeted, walking over to him. "So what's this great idea of yours?"

He smiled. "You're looking at it."

"Huh?" she said, looking around. "Oh, us! You don't think that's cheating a little bit? No one else is going to be able to get Ladybug and Cat Noir to pose for them like that."

Walking closer, he clasped her hand in his, looking down at it. His green eyes flicked up to meet hers. "Ladybug, you're _my_ hope against the darkness. I can't think of anything better for our photo entry."

His words coaxed a smile from her, and she had to agree.

They took a few moments to set up the camera. It took a few tries, a tripod, Cat Noir's staff, and quite a bit of manipulating of Ladybug's yo-yo, but they finally got it into to right position. Cat hit the timer on the camera and they took their positions, hands clasped, faces turned slightly toward each other, with the sunset and the Eiffel Tower in the background. Their bodies would be mostly in silhouette against the brightness of the landscape of Paris.

"The true meaning of Paris," Ladybug said, looking up into his eyes.

"Yeah, hope...and love.."

The camera clicked from behind them, catching both a little off guard. Ladybug rushed to check it. _Not bad,_ she decided.

Looking over at Cat Noir, she said, "You know, I can't stop thinking about Hawk Moth...I wonder what happened to the akuma that attacked me, and the one that flew out of Commandant."

"Whatever his plan is, we'll be ready," Cat Noir replied closing his fist.

Ladybug smiled, "You're right. We're in this together."

They took a few more shots just to be sure, and disassembled the messy configuration. They flipped through the photos together on the view screen, and nodded to one another, satisfied with the results.

"Do you think we'll win?" Adrien asked.

Ladybug flicked the bell at his neck, ringing it, then pulled on it gently, bringing him closer. Grinning, she whispered, "I'd say we already did."

THE END


End file.
